Movie Review by Bill Rendall

When Harry Met Sally

Can a man and a woman be friends? This perennial question is posed in When Harry Met Sally. The movie is set in New York City and follows the relationship that slowly develops over many years between a couple played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

Crystal has the knack of delivering sharp dialogue with a dark edge to it while still being likeable. Ryan became the queen of the romantic comedy by portraying a sweet, sunny disposition which is much in evidence in this movie. Her character is even named Allbright.

When Harry Met Sally can be considered to be an update on the Woody Allen movie Annie Hall. Allen's movie is an obviously autobiographical look at his relationship with Diane Keaton. When Harry Met Sally is not autobiographical but it seems Harry and Sally are partly based on the real life characters of Rob Reiner, the movie's director and Nora Ephron, the screenwriter.

The song 'It Had to Be You' features in When Harry Met Sally and was previously sung by Keaton in Annie Hall. The soundtrack for When Harry Met Sally uses old songs rather than contemporary songs. Clearly the movie is not targeted at a teen audience. Much of the material is drawn from composers of traditional musicals. The association of Gershwin songs with New York had already been established in Woody Allen movies such as Manhattan.

There are many great scenes in When Harry Met Sally. The one that is most well known is Ryan pretending to have an orgasm in a crowded restaurant. This scene has since been repeated and parodied ad nauseam but it was very funny at the time.

One of my favourite scenes is when Crystal and Ryan arrange a double date with their best friends (Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher.) Kirby and Fisher hit it off immediately and leave in a taxi together at the end of the evening. It is ironic that it takes Crystal and Ryan years to get together as a couple while it only takes their friends one evening.

Another of my favourite scenes features a kitsch wagon wheel coffee table. Crystal has just bumped into his ex-wife which has revived bitter memories. He is in a dark mood and warns Kirby and Fisher that some time in future they will split up and fight over who gets to keep Kirby's coffee table. Fisher assures Kirby that she will never want it.

The movie includes references to Casablanca, which would have to be one of the best romantic movies ever. Between scenes of When Harry Met Sally there are documentary style interviews of married couples. This adds a little variety to the movie but I think the movie would have been fine without them.

What I really like about When Harry Met Sally is the witty dialogue. The characters engage in the sort of clever conversation that I wish I could come up with in real life.

Director: Rob Reiner

Screenplay: Nora Ephron

Music: Marc Shaiman

Further viewing:

The low budget Canadian movie The Myth of the Male Orgasm is a no-frills exploration of male-female relationships.

Boys and Girls is a Hollywood makeover of When Harry Met Sally targeted at teens. It challenges sexual stereotypes by reversing the male and female roles.

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